(Over the next two weeks, Geneva Athletics is going to be remembering ten highlights from throughout the 2019-20 season, in no particular order.  We're thankful for the hard work our student-athletes put in throughout the year, along with our coaches, trainers and athletics staff.  Attached is the final PK attempt of Geneva's PAC Semifinal win over Westminster.)

The fall sports season proved to be a very successful one for many of the Geneva College athletic programs, and the men's soccer team was one of those programs that saw success after it used a late season run to advance all the way to the Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) championship match for the fourth time in five seasons.

The season got off to a bit of a slow start after Geneva lost two close games in the Nate Ferraco Classic to open the season, falling to nationally-ranked Capital in overtime, 1-0, and then to Houghton the following night, 2-1.

The Golden Tornadoes rebounded the following week with two victories, though, defeating Franciscan and Wittenberg, and for the rest of the non-conference season, Geneva mostly alternated wins and losses over a three week stretch.  The Golden Tornadoes closed the non-conference portion of their schedule with a 2-0 loss to Penn State Behrend, leaving Geneva with a 4-6 record heading into PAC play.

The Golden Tornadoes opened PAC play with a home win over Thiel, 3-1, but then fell at PAC preseason favorite Grove City the following week, 2-0.

Geneva then put together a three-match winning streak over the next ten days, defeating Chatham 1-0 on a late goal by Justin Harbison (Renfrew, Pa./Portersville Christian) in the closing seconds, and then knocking off Saint Vincent in overtime by the same 1-0 score when Michael Pohlod (Gibsonia, Pa./Pine Richland) scored off a header.  The Golden Tornadoes then traveled to Bethany and put forth a resounding 4-0 victory.

Geneva returned back home and lost to Washington & Jefferson, who was tied for first in the PAC at that point, 4-1, which left the Golden Tornadoes needing a result in one of their last two regular season matches to qualify for the PAC postseason tournament, with both games coming on the road at Waynesburg and Westminster.

Geneva clinched a spot in the playoffs in dramatic fashion at Waynesburg, a team that was competing with Geneva for the final PAC postseason spot.  The Golden Tornadoes fell behind in the first half, but Zach O'Connor (Darlington, Pa./Blackhawk) pulled Geneva level with a beautiful free kick from 30-yards out in the second half.  That sent the game to overtime, where James Mincone (East Northport, N.Y./Northport) scored in the closing minutes to give Geneva the win and guarantee a spot in the postseason.

That left Geneva with one game remaining, on the road against a Westminster squad that was tied for first place in the PAC.  Westminster was trying to clinch the top seed in the playoffs, while Geneva was trying to earn at least one postseason home game with a win.  The Titans came into the match with one of the PAC's most prolific offenses, while Geneva boasted the league's top defense.  Ultimately, Geneva's defense won out.  Neither team could find a goal in regulation, and Antonio Fiordilino's (McDonald, Pa./West Allegheny) goal in double overtime clinched the #2 seed in the PAC playoffs.  Goalkeeper Gabe Kemp was huge in the match with ten saves.

The way the seeding worked out, Westminster fell to the #3 seed which meant Geneva would host the same Titans squad just four days later in the PAC semifinals.  The match followed a similar script.  The Geneva defense held strong, and neither team could find a goal in regulation, and Kemp made another huge save in overtime to keep the game alive for the Golden Tornadoes, and the match ultimately went to penalty kicks scoreless.

Goalkeeper Nate Burkhart (Greensburg, Pa./Hempfield), who had been inserted into goal at the beginning of penalty kicks in a tactical decision by Head Coach Gary Dunda, came up with a huge save on Westminster's first attempt.  The next four Golden Tornadoes, Devaughn Johns (Mt. Pleasant Mills, Pa./Midd-West), Kevin Pasho (Smithville, Ohio/Central Christian), O'Connor and Chase Baxa (Slippery Rock, Pa./Slippery Rock) all converted their attempts.  When Westminster's final attempt sailed high, it gave Geneva the victory and set off a wild celebration, advancing the Golden Tornadoes to the championship match.

Geneva traveled to Washington & Jefferson for the championship, and the Presidents came in as the top seed in the conference and the highest scoring teams in the PAC.  W&J got on the board early in the match, but Pohlod pulled Geneva level midway through the half.  However, late in the half, W&J caught a break when a free kick deflected off the wall and into the net, giving the Presidents a 2-1 lead at halftime.

That goal forced Geneva to open up its play looking for an equalizer, and W&J took advantage by scoring twice more in the second half, eventually holding on for a 4-2 victory, ending Geneva's season.

Despite the loss, it was another strong season for Coach Dunda and the Golden Tornadoes.  When the PAC postseason awards were announced, Johns was tabbed as a First Team All-PAC selection, and Pasho was named a Second Team All-PAC selection.

In addition, Mincone, Kemp, Cole Sauer (Middleburg, Pa./Midd-West) and Ian Gelsinger (Greencastle, Pa./Greencastle-Antrim) were named as Honorable Mention All-PAC selections.

"Westminster was a very good team this past season," said Coach Dunda.  "Their top four attacking players were incredibly dangerous and that included the 2018 & 2019 PAC Players of Year.  To not allow a goal in two games within four days of each other is an incredible accomplishment.  It speaks to the guys commitment to playing the right way and their determination to win.  To win in overtime at Westminster on Saturday and then defeat them at home in a PK shootout on Wednesday was the highlight of the 2019 season."


Geneva College is a Christ-centered academic community that provides a comprehensive education to equip students for faithful and fruitful service to God and neighbor. Offering over 145 traditional undergraduate majors and programs, fully online Adult Degree Programs and high-demand graduate degrees, Geneva's programs are recognized for their high quality. Geneva is included on Kiplinger's Personal Finance's "2019 Best College Values" list and has one of the top undergraduate engineering programs in the nation, according to U.S. News and World Report. Adhering to the truth of Scripture, a Geneva education is grounded in God's Word as well as in a core curriculum designed to prepare students vocationally to think, write and communicate well in today's world.